Every day we hear about the fear and trauma this dirty deal has caused among vulnerable people. Let us now build a compassionate system
Today’s court of appeal judgment against the government’s plan to give Rwanda cash to take asylum seekers, is a victory for reason and compassion. It confirms the instincts of millions of caring people across the UK, that this dirty deal is not only deeply unethical, but it also flies in the face of the laws of this country.
The ruling is a terrible blow to Rishi Sunak’s unconscionable plan to ban refugees based on their mode of arrival and expel them to an uncertain fate in the developing world. The court dismissed the government’s arguments that Rwanda is a safe third country, finding that flaws in its refugee assessment processes risk the return of refugees to further persecution, as the UN refugee agency has insisted from the start. If Rwanda does not meet the bar, the government will be hard pressed to find another suitable partner in the global south.
Sonya Sceats is chief executive of Freedom from Torture
